Electric snap-switch.



Patented Jan.1, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I I nvenfu Arfume' M GUETT ELECTRIC SNAP SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED ocr. 12, 9'16.

M. Gum, ELECTRIC SNAP SWITCH. APPLICATION FILED OCT. I2. 1916.

IMWMWI. v Patented Jan. 1,1918.

z-sun'Ts-suzn 2.

Ini/enfbr Affczrn gy 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MONROE GUETT, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE HART & I IEGEMAN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

ELECTRIC SNAPS'WITCHi To all whom it may concern:

Be it lmmvn that I, MONROE GUETT, a citizen. oi the Unitcd'states, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful fll'nprovcments in Electric Smip- Switches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention. relates to electric snap switches. In Letters Patent No. 1,163,084 issued to me December 7, 191-5 is disclosed a switch of the present type. The primary purpose of the present invention is to 1'0- vide means of an effective nature by W lich I can secure all the advantages accomplishcd by the switch set forth in said Let lcrs Patent lot by different means.

In the drown-gs accompanying and forming part of the present specification I have shown in detail one of the several convenient forms of embodiment of the invention which will be forth fully in the following description. I do not restrict myself to this particular disclosure; I may depart therefrom in several respects within the scope of the invention defined by the claims following said description.

Referring to said drawings:

Figurr l is n lop plan view of a switehf involving the invention.

Fi e, 2 is a section on the line it- 2. looking in the direction of llie arrow, the swit hinn member being on.

Fig. 3 is a. similar view with the switching member oli'.

Fig. i is a horiy'ontal section on the line 4--- oi Fig. 2, looking upward and showing col-lain of the parts in different positions by dotted and 'lull lines.

Fig. I? is a s ction on said line k5, lookingdownward.

Fig. (l ii-z :1 similar View showing the de tents in theirinoperative poi-anions by full lines and in orn'rative positions by dotlcd lint-1+.

Figs i Wild i are sections through the spindl and spring l alteu just above the spring, lhr first oi lhcse views showing the spring means as tensioned. while the other illustrates the spring means in the initial ;'=o.-:il.iou thereof.

Fig. 1) iI. a sectional detail, the-section be- -il),' on the line 5l--9 of Fig. 4, looking in iindirection of the arrow.

Like clumicters refer to like parts lpecifloation of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 1, 1918.

Application filed October 12, 1916 Serial No. 125,134.

throughout'the several views which are on different scales.

My switch involves 111 its make-up a.

switching member of suitable type mounted for back and forth movement about an axis; that is to say the switching member may be rotatively moved step by step in either direction, or it may be merely oscillatory. In the present case the action a rotary one.

The different parts of the switch my be sustained in any desirable Way; for instance they may be carriedupon a base as 2 erally of orcelaiu. The switching member may be 0 any suitable nature. As shown it consists cl 9, manumtator denoted in a general way by 3, having two poles as 4 insulated as is customary from each other and cooperative with contacts as 5 shown as being of clip type mounted upon the insulating base or body 2. This commutator and contacts maybe arranged exactly as shown in the prior Letters Potent.

tically central opening in the detent member 3 is a spindle as l). interposed between the spindle and the detent plate is a bushin ll, the spindle being held against accidental withdrawal in some suitable way its by the Washer .10 connected therewith as common. The spindlev 1) extends lYri-ely through the switching member. t mny he turned in ma suitable way as by the handle 12 connected rigid-1y therewith as by the screw 13 as i'amilin r. llurircling the spindle i) is thc coileti spring H. the opposile ends'of whiolflare outturned as at 15 and i l, the elements 17 and .18 being disposed between these out turned ends as shown besl in Fig. 8 which illustrates lhe normal relation or when the parts are at rest. The element 17 rotates with the spindle 9, while the part 18 turns with the switching member 3, all as common in snap movements As a matter of fact the construction hcreinbefore described is generally speaking like that shown in my prior Letters Patent which is merely one structure as may be inferred, in connection with which the invention is advantageously usable. As the spindle 9 is turned for instance.

in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 7, the

' part 17 engaging the oft-set portion- 15. of

the spring,-the switching'member being held against action during this time, the spring will be tensioned, and when the requisite tension is reached, the switching member will. he released so that the tensioned spring through the medium of the offset 16 thereof aeting against the part 18 ean'impart a snap movement to the switching member to move the same either to the on or to the 0fl'p0- sition. Should the spindle be turned in the direetion opposite, the'arrow, the part 17 by engaging the off-set 16 will tension the spring, and when the neeessary tension is ol'itained. the oft-set15 by actin}; against the part 18 can snap-the switching member to the on or the oft position as the case may be. The fixed detent 6 as shown'is'm the form of a. disk. havm; a suitable number of pe-' ripheral teeth as 19. 20.21 and 22. Four of these teeth are shown. and they areequidistantly disposed. Any other suitable cletent might be provided. .111 conjunction with the detent or ratehet plate 6 elements as. 23. 24. 2:"). and 26. these stop elements bong slidahly rarried in the present case by the switehingmember. Although there are tour of sueh-stop elements, this may not in all vases he neeessary. In the present ease said stop elements are slidably suin'nn'led by the switehin g member. the base plate. 27 ronstilutmq part of the switehing member. heingz a suitable carrier for them; These stop elementsslnlo in radial grooves as 28 formed in the-lower side of the-said .oai r plate and in the annular depending flange :25) thereol". The front ends of the grooves 38 are open and .nor|n'al.l the inner ends oi the stop elements abut against the bark or -loseti buds of said grooves or slots as shown best in Fig. 9. The said stop elements 33? 2.) and ill are held suit-ably in their retrarted 'msil ions. the coiled sprin g 30 answering); sat islm-i'orili in this connection.

' The spring}; is 0'1 annular torn] and is roiled.

the ends being: hooked together as at 31 (Fig- 4), the spring enrzrolmgr the-four stop elements and-being sealed in noi' rhes as 32 formed in the oater'la'pes thereof, by reason "of whieh one springsewestor all of the stop elements. Said stop elements have shoul- (lGI'OCl or off-sot portions 5 .vhieh normally engage adjacent fares of the teeth 19. 20. it and 22 of the detent or rate-hot plate G as shown in Fig. 5. 'lo etl'eet the movement of t-he stop elements to releasing position any suitable means may he provided. the double lobed cam 34 being shown tor this purpose. said cam being keyed or otherwise suitably 'conneote'd with the spindle 9 for rotation therewith.

The parts are shown as oeoupyingtheir neutralor at rest positions by full lines in her.

the fact that the stop elements 22 of the fixed ratchet plate (3, it

are stop restraining teeth ments .0.

Fig. 4. Fig. 5 also illustrates the stop elements 23. :24. :25 and 26 when the switching member is either on or off. The stop elements 25 and 26 engage adjacent taxes of the teeth 21 and while the stop elements 23 and 24 engage adjaetmt faces of theteeth 1'9 and 20 in said Fig; 5. lt will he assumed that it is desired to shi l t the switching'mem- In this event the tollowing procedure will be adoptedi 'lhrough the manipulation of the handle 12. the spindle 9 will he turned. for instanre in the direction of the curved arrows in Figs. 4. (i and 7. Owing to 23. 2+. 25 20, 21 and is obvious that on the, .initialturning movement of the and 26 abutagainst the teeth UL spindlmthe S\\'ll1(lllllfl member 3 will not he tn erated.- The spring 1-4. however. will he tensioned through the turning of the spindle in the manner already described and as said spindle turns. the ram M will rotate there with and engagingthe butts of the four stop e einents will move said stop elements out wardly as shown by dotted lines in Fig. As the stop elements 23. 2- and 26 are moved radially outward by the turning ram 34-, the spring ll during this time heing ten.-- sinned. the ofi'-set portions- 2-3; of the several stop elements will be moved tree of the several teeth 1! 20. It and li'heinp; carried tree of said teeth just about the time the spring H is under maximum compression. lVhen the. slnaddered porl ions 33 ot the sev-- eral stop elements are tree of therespeetive 19. '20. '21 and 22, the s\\'lt(lli'lif 1 member it will he released. so that the tensioned spring: ll can snap the switching member to the on or the ott position as the casemay be. .-\.s the several stop ele 52+. 25 and 26 are slidontwartl. 1he expand the annular spring ill) o that the. spring 30 on its eontrartion ran at the proper time restore the sei'e al' stop elrmentsinstantaneously to their active positions. Thatis to say after the. sw-itt'hing membereonnnenres its movement. the several stop elements are slid at an. areelerated speed in wardly. so that their shtnildered portions 33 can engage the teeth of the detent or ratchet plate, (3 and thus arrest further motion of the switching member when, the same .is in'the (-orreet position which may be either on or ofl'. It will he understood that the action of the stop elements in point of time is pra-e tic-ally l'hoeameas that described in conneo ti n with the swinging stop elements oi my team Patent. although said Letters Patent. as will bapparent. contemplated in its scope the. use of movable stop elements of any suitable type. The present. ease is confined to stop elements whieh slide. as-to one of the features thereof.

It will beuntierstood trom the observations already made that two stop elements control the motion of the switching member in one direction and that the other two control the motion of the switching member in the opposite direction. Ifor instance should it be desired to move the switchin member in the direction of the arrow in ig. 7, the

stop members 23 and 26 will be simultaneou'sly moved outward clear of the adjacent teeth 19 and 22, but the switching member cannot be turned until the stop members 24: and 26 are disengaged from the teeth 20 and 21 respectively, these two stop elements 24:

and 25 jointly controlling the movement of ber, a detent, a, plurality of stop elements slid ably supported by the switching member,

an annular spring surrounding and acting against thestop elements to hold the same I normally in engagement with said detent,

spring means to apply its efl'ect ,to the switching member, and means for moving the stop elements to switch member releasing position and at the same time tensioning .the spring means, said tensioned spring means when the sto) elements free the switching member shi ing the letter.

2. A switch comprising a switching member, a detent, a plurality of stop elements slidably supported by the switching member, an annular coiled spring surrounding the stop elements and normally holding the same in engagement with the detent, spring means to applyits effect to the switching member, and means for moving the stop elements to switch member releasing position i and at the same time tensioning sa1dspring means, sald tensioned sprlngmeans when the stop elements free the switching member, shifting the latter.

3. A switch comprising a stationary detent, on oppositely rotative switching member, stopelements supported by the switching member for radial sliding movement, an annular coiled sprin surrounding the stop elements andnormal y holding the same in engagement with said detent, a. spindle extending freely through the switching membet, a spring interposed between the spindle and the switching member, and a cam rotative with the spindle for moving the stop elements free of the detent on opposite movements of the spindle.

4. A switch comprising a switchin member, a detent, a plurality of sto e ements movably supported by the switc ing member, an annular spring surrounding the stop elements and normally holding the same in engagement with the detent, spring means to apply its effect to the switclun member, and means for moving the stop e ements to switch member releasing position and at the. same time tensioning said s ring means, said tensioned spring means wien the sto elements free the switching member, shifting said switchingmember.

5. A switch comprising a swi'tchin member, a detent, a pluralit of'sto'p e ements movably suppoijted by t e switching memher, an annularcoiled 5 ring surrounding the switching elements an normally holding the same in engagement. with the detent, spring means to apply its effect to the switching member, and means for moving the stop elements to switch member releasin osition meaps, said tensioned spring meanswhen the stop elements are freed, shifting the switching member.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

MONROE GUETT. Witnesses:

L. L. MARKEL, l, HEATH SUTHERLAND. 

